Legacy
by Du Domia abr Threyja
Summary: The story of Elainæ, an OC thati created for the story by Alfakyn-Elf - Ganga Fram. It explains her life, training, struggles and a mysterious adventure that takes her to the edges of her abilities.  Rated T to be safe
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1: Du Namar Aurboda (set in the time around the fall of the riders)

A figure hunched in exhaustion, silhouetted by the red and pink hues exhibited by the sun setting over the plateau that joined the Crags of Tal'naeír . The figure stood, revealing a petite yet muscular frame and long hair. Raising her arms and placing her hands on the back of her head, the figure stretched out the cramps, stitches and sore muscles that had found a home on her body during her time away. Isolated by the wilderness all that could be heard by the lone figure were the whistles of the lonely wind and the cacophony of her beating heart and aching lungs.

The errands she ran were for her mother, Rhunön, the famous and millennia old smith of the elves. For the past year she had been searching the entire expanse of Du Weldenvarden for a substance known only to Rhunön, Elainæ, Riders and their Dragons and those at the receiving end of their attacks. This substance had properties that separated the weapons made of it and those of normal metal and was extremely rare. Rhunön had sent Elainæ on a quest to find all sources of the mysterious metal in the confines of Du Weldenvarden.

Heaving in exhaustion, Elainæ steadied her breathing and the beating of her heart and scouted her surroundings with her mind. This had provided her with many sources of relaxation whilst running between the elven cities and scouting the corners of Du Weldenvarden but at this moment all it served was to determine the distance between her and her home; the marvellous city of Ellesmera. She stretched her mind and found her mother in her forge and recoiled from her thoughts as she perceived a deep sense of loss emanating from her mother. Relaxing her thoughts and stretching further she found a great glowing ball of energy suspended over a meeting of great beings. Withdrawing into herself, Elainæ packed up her things and made her way back to Ellesmera at the steady gait elves were renowned for.

As she drew closer, Elainæ began to realise that she was not only exerting energy in her gait, but was also unconsciously providing energy to the gathering that centred in Ellesmera. As she strode towards her home she felt a tugging in her heart and was curious as to the large gathering. Pacing forward she began to realise that a discordant tune was being woven into life by the elves and dragons present. The deep, throaty hums of the dragons and the lilting and light melodies of the elves was being intertwined with magic to create a spell that far exceeded Elainæ's knowledge as a majority of the spell was being focussed by the wordless magic created by the dragons. Never before in her two hundred years of life had Elainæ seen such a large group of dragons performing magic in a scripted manner and she wondered what she had missed in her century long journey around Du Weldenvarden. As she thought of The Guarding Forest that housed her race she realised not only were the dragons and elves providing energy and lyrics to the spell, but so too was the forest. As she saw through her senses she saw tendrils of energy weaving their way through the forest and gathering themselves before the Menoa Tree and continuing in one constant stream towards the sphere of pure energy in the sky.

Exhausted mentally and physically from the journey and her participation in the gathering Elainæ strode home. She cautiously looked into the forge and found her mother, still bent over the smouldering pit she had herself focussed on. Elainæ, deciding not to interrupt her train of thought, simply strode past her mother and wisped her way into her room before falling into her waking dreams.

... She was with dragons, riders and elves; somehow there but not. Elainæ was both conscious and yet in her dreams. She witnessed a group of 12 dragons all gathered inside a massive circle of dragons. The tugging that she felt earlier had returned but had multiplied tenfold and began to tear her inside, threatening to split her in two. She felt the same from everyone gathered in the dream and realised that she recognised every elf and could feel consciousness emanating from each of them the same as they felt from her. One by one, she felt herself struggling to remain whole as the apparitions of the 12 dragons gradually began to fade until all that was left was a facade of being that transcended into every being. She felt the consciousness of the dragons conform to one and project their mental voices, to say in the ancient language as one "The Banishing of the Names is done" Elainæ once again felt whole but also had a grave sense of loss as the names of the Wyrdfell's dragons had forever been erased from memory.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N - Hey guys, finally figured this editor out and how you guys were putting in your A/N's (for those of you who are authors). I'm really sorry for my late update as i have been busy with a week long sporting commitment and didn't have access to a computer as i was away from home. I should have another chapter up tomorrow (fingers crossed) but after that there will be a short dry spell due to yet another sporting commitment.**

**As I'm sure you have read plenty of times please Read & Review as I know authors enjoy the gratification it gives them; on the same notion, constructive criticism is always the best but i won't mind any flames as i know i have a lot to learn. A big shout out the author of Ganga Fram; Alfakyn-Elf for being my unofficial beta and proofing all of my stuff, i know it makes my stories better.**

**So enjoy.**

**Du Domia abr Threyja**

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><p>Elainæ woke in a frenzy of confused mutters, groans of tight muscles, and a light-headed blankness. Stretching her limbs and rolling her shoulders, Elainæ made her way to the bathroom she had sung into existence as her first trial of the art. Opening a door opposite the main entrance to her personal abode, Elainæ entered a large and spacious bathroom adorned with a vine woven privacy drape for body-size wash basin, intricate glyphs on the darkly colored hard-wood walls. Walking towards her body-length mirror, Elainæ inspected herself after the year-long trip that had ensued until the night before.<p>

Her usually shoulder length dark-oak colored hair had grown to her elbows since she had last cut it and had acquired light tips due to the extended exposure to the sun. Her naturally high cheekbones and slanted eyes were in perfect harmony and complimented her delicately pointed ears that were tucked behind her spiraling hair. Memories of a life in the forge were encased in her dark green eyes that were tinted with a sky-marine blue. A determined but modest chin outlined her overall beautiful face. Her body was covered with modest but toned muscles from a life assisting and applying craft in an around the forge and on the practice fields.

As Elainæ studied herself in her mirror so too, did her mother.

"You look like wreck," pronounced Rhunön.

"Says you," replied elainæ in a mocking but loving tone. Over their time in the forge together, Elainæ and her mother had become closer as mother and daughter and had also founded a bond of jovial friendship.

Smirking, Rhunön muttered a spell under her breath and Elainæ's hair conformed to her usual standards of length and color.

"I could have done that myself!" Elainæ exclaimed in a tone that suggested her mother's act had offended her.

"I know... But I felt as though you deserve special treatment since you did such a good job on your assignment."

"But mother, I found no sources of brightsteel and returned as empty handed as when I left." announced Elainæ, referring to the 100 year long journey she had taken to locate the elusive material.

"The fact remains that you tried and returned unharmed," Rhunön said, caressing her daughters face in the palm of her hand. "there's something we need to talk about..." she continued hesitantly.

"What is it?" replied Elainæ in an interested but cautious manner.

"Your father and his dragon were slain in an attempt to fend off the oath and egg breaking Galbatorix and the blasted fiends called the Wyrdfell," sobbed Rhunön, bursting into tears all the while. Cursing in dwarvish and throwing herself to her daughter's shoulder, Rhunön characteristically let her physical, mental and emotional defenses slip. Retuning the sentiment, Elainæ proceeded in the same fashion, mourning over the loss of her father and her mothers mate.

"The what..." Elainæ started briefly, only to be interrupted by her mother's mind molding with hers. Elainæ recoiled as memories of her father came flooding in. One such memory stuck out above the others.

... An elf, adorned in war-correspondence uniforms, knocked on the forge door and proceeded inside. Swearing in dwarfish about her interrupted work, Rhunön looked up and was caught by surprise.

"I regret deeply to inform you that your mate Valkyre and his dragon Zephron have perished into the void at the hands of Galbatorix. He died protecting Doru Araebe from the Wyrdfell and asked me to show you this memory."

A figure sat on a stool of wood and a large lizard-like head placed next to him. The figure himself was seemingly tall and a stocky built. Strong arms from natural talent with a blade and a mental power that surged from his eyes were his predominant features but a tender and loving side introduced itself in his words.  
>"My darling Rhunön… If you are seeing this memory it means that i have died at the hands of the Wyrdfell in an attempt to rid the world of the hell-bound oath breakers. Just know that I will always love you and that I want you to protect Elainæ and keep her safe. I love you both." the memory faded between the links as the armor clad and handsome figure took flight on his dragon.<p>

"I am truly sorry," said the messenger, "he was our best sorcerer and humble servant to the order."

Elainæ was left shocked as a torrent of understanding came to her. Wordlessly, a raging fire appeared around her hands as Elainæ started tearing up the bathroom. "Why?" she screamed repeatedly.  
>Collapsing to the floor in a mixture of self-pity, disbelief and a shame of what had just transpired; Elainæ lay unmoving and transmitted her anguish mentally so all could hear.<p>

"Slytha," Rhunön pronounced clearly as she placed her hand on her daughters temple.

"Elly!" cried a figure that had climbed his way into Elainæ's spell induced dream-state.

"Father!" she called, knowing that he was the only person who called her by that name.

"Yes Elly, it is I, your father. I have come here to tell you that your purpose in life is beyond the forge. Do not disregard your mother for your purpose and fate rely on the fact that you learn all that she knows. You are to become a being that will bridge the gap between the spirits and physical beings and will have power bestowed on you by my legacy when the time comes."

"Father. I..." replied Elainæ, but was interrupted once again, by her father.  
>"My time now is short," interrupted Valkyre "I do not have the strength to cast any more magic inside the void directly to you. Pay attention to your surroundings, we shall be in contact..."<p>

Elainæ's vision faded into nothing as her father drifted from sight.

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><p><strong>Thanks again guys and remember to R&amp;R and look at Ganga Fram if you haven't already. She is under my favourite authors and her story is also on my favourites list.<strong>


	3. Chapter 3

**So a bit of a flash-forward here guys and gals but i hope it is satisfying. As always R&R because everyone knows authors love the feedback.**

It had been 98 years since the fateful day when knowledge was unconsciously ripped from every living thing in existence. It had been 98 years since she had been given the news that her father had died. It had been 98 years since Oromis and Glaedr-elda had suffered invalidating wounds. In other words, 98 years ago, turmoil in the land of Alagaesia had reached all new heights.

All this Elainæ reflected upon whilst performing the second set of pre-battle movements known as the Rimgar. "Focus on the steadiness of your breath and the depth each inhalation." Oromis' voice, laced with tender indifference floated through Elainæ's head as she moved to another stance. "Place your foot a little further back" Oromis continued as she took her stance.

The past 100 years had seen a sharp depression in the amount of children conceived as political tension between the races had risen exponentially and the intra-racial tension of the elves had also soared after the banishing of names. It was at this time then, that all children were taught extensively in the arts of the mind and body, more specifically, those to do with war. Hence the reason Elainæ was now situated on the Crags of Tal'naier, undergoing parts of the rider training that excluded dragons or secretive magic. "Come" Oromis announced suddenly, swiftly sliding a wooden cane behind Elainæ's knee. Reeling backwards, Elainæ plummeted to the ground, sprawling in the dirt and glancing up to see a rare smile grace the corners of her masters face.

Finding her sword placed in front of her face, Elainæ staggered back as her sixth sense alerted her to danger coming from above as Oromis' sword swung down and buried itself in the earth not 1 foot from her face. "Have at you Elainæ Rhunönsdaughter!" Her master exclaimed drawing Naegling from the ground in a magically enhanced eruption of earth.

Slicing at her head, Oromis attempted to cleave her head from her shoulders. Elainæ ducked with swiftness only and elf could muster and replied with a series of slices and jabs. met by an impervious block when she was about to slip through a gap in his defences, Elainæ recoiled instantaneously but was overwhelmed when she found the gold hue gem of Naegling firmly planted on her throat. Elainæ tapped out and was ready to face another bout of the onslaught when she was attacked mentally by her ebrithel.

Oromis' mind took the form of a winter brush fox as Elainæ's mental defences took the form of the impenetrable canopy of Du Weldenvarden. Darting in and out of the trees, Oromis began to work his way through her mind, but to no avail. Elainæ's thoughts, memories and feelings were cunningly sealed inside the trunks of the trees; the more important and secretive were hidden inside the swelling trunk of the Menoa Tree. Oromis' voice sounded in her mind, "your defences are cunning and well constructed, and the illusion of an easily accessible mind is preceded in merit only by the swelling mass of energy inside the trunk of the Menoa Tree, which, anyone who has travelled to Ellesmera will think is just a mental probe of your surroundings."

Oromis' rarely heard appraisal warmed Elainæ as she suddenly realized how tired she was. "Thank you Ebrithel" Elainæ stuttered in exhaustion, "what is next?"

"Return to your abode and rest. On the anniversary of your father's demise and with the agaeti blödhren fast approaching we do not want fatigue to deter your thoughts from where they should be." Oromis' voice repeating what she had felt.

"Thank you Ebrithel."

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><p>It was the night of the Agaeti Blödhren, and still preparations were being conducted. Those who chose sang to special flowers, others dedicated themselves to finishing their poems or philosophical lines. Elves set up great stretches of tables and chairs for the coming nights of celebration.<p>

As Elainæ stared at her work a sense of utter pride gripped her. "It is beautiful, majestic and practical" she thought to herself, "yes, I am truly proud."

Spinning in confusion as a door opened behind her, Elainæ was stunned to see her mother dressed in an outfit that was unsuitable for the forge. "Going somewhere?" she asked mockingly as she remembered the reason why she was dressed so.

"Not by my choice" Her mother replied bitterly "but who am I to question the will of Arya Drottningu?" she continued in a sour tone.

"I think you look splendid" Elainæ continued, barely biting back a giggle.

"Hmmm we will see." she said storming out of the room.

Hours passed as pleasantries were conducted, the feast was set out and the elves and visitors of Ellesmera presented their creations in honour of the Agaeti Blödhren. "Elainæ Rhunönsdaughter" a voice rose above the crowd and conversations of the last presentations ceased.

Stepping up before the crowd of elves, dwarves, the Shur'tugal and Saphira Brightscales, Elainæ cleared her throat so as to project her voice clearly. "Greetings to all on this special night. I, Elainæ Rhunönsdaughter wish to present to you my creation" she stated holding a covered item over her forearm. "This is a battle jerkin made of metal infused vine" she started as she took the cover off and with a few words of the ancient language, suspended the jerkin upright in mid air. "Originally, I was singing to the vine at the base of a willow when my idea struck. The idea of this jerkin is to incorporate superior stability into an otherwise flimsy material. As I began to sing to the vines, I slowly fed some wire-weaved steel mesh into the body of the vine. As I sung, the vines began to weave themselves into a tight fitting body brace that I have discovered will mould itself to any body shape. As I was nearly finished with the creation, I sang into a loose an open end of the vine and made it so the jerkin carries restorative and healing elements. Upon testing these improvements I discovered that while being sliced it will re-bind itself and -using its own energy- repair the wounds suffered by the wearer. I enchanted the vines to forever draw their strength from the moisture and heat of the air around them, therefore not allowing them to take energy from the wearer directly but by the perspiration and body temperature of them." pausing for a response, Elainæ was reprieved of silence when the great congregation of elves have her a standing ovation and wished to see the piece in physical demonstration. "Very well" Elainæ then continued with confidence. "Oromis-Ebrithel, if you would?"

"With my greatest pleasure" he replied. Striding onto the platform and muttering a few words into the ancient language the jerkin began to expand as if filled from the inside with a stocky figure. Oromis strode forward as the crowd's attention grew to outstanding heights and with a blindingly fast downward slice Naegling cleanly cutting the jerkin in two. It hung there in two separate pieces as if clinging to the invisible body as it sent tendrils of metal infused vine towards one another until finally weaving themselves into full harmony once again. With a thunderous applause, Elainæ walking off stage with her head held high.

"I could not be prouder." Rhunön spoke within her mind. "You are truly my best creation." Her mother's rarely shown affection flooded Elainæ's emotions as the out of character words were obvious signs of too much Faelnirv.

"Thank you mother." replied Elainæ graciously. "It is growing late and I wish to retire for this evening. Goodnight"

"Rest well my precious" Rhunön replied pouring love trough the mental bond. "I shall see you tomorrow." and with that the connection severed, leaving Elainæ left to roam her way to her tree house and plunge into the dream-state that was the sleep of the elves. As she slipped into her dream state she thought she heard the back of her mind whisper "_my gift is fast approaching, rest well my darling Elly_".

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><p><strong>On a sidenote. Any constructive criticism as the the timing of my events or the validity of the events within the story feel free to pm me or just post your opinion in reviews.<strong>

**Thanks for reading my fanfic, I love writing for you all and some new chapters will be on their way soon.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hi guys, it's me again. Getting this and other chapters uploaded within the next few months is going to be a trying endeavor however i will continue to write and post whenever i can. This chapter deals with Elainae's transformation so i hope you enjoy. as always i implore you to R&R and if you want to pm me that's fine. please no flames, i know that i might not conform to set timelines etc etc but this is my first fanfic so bear with me.**

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><p>Chapter 4 - set a fortnight after E&amp;A's encounter with the spirits in Brisingr.<p>

It was dark and overcast when the words reverberated inside her mind. "Elly we have come to you," they exclaimed in mysterious echoes. With a sudden burst of energy and a will to clear her head, Elainæ climbed out of bed, got dressed and, carrying her sword, made her way to the sparring fields.

An hour had passed since Elainæ had completed each individual level of the Rimgar and yet the multitude of voices inside her head hadn't ceased their constant ring. Moving towards the middle of the field, Elainæ dove into a roll as an imaginary enemy had managed to sneak behind her. With a swift backward sweep of her sword, the foe fell to the floor with a severe abdominal wound. Time after time the enemies assaulted her. And time after time still, she moved as delicately as a forest lynx and with the deadly potential as an eagle to evade the onslaught and successfully strike down the opposition. Engaging in imaginary combat gave Elainæ the opportunity to create multiple scenarios around herself and transferred fluidly from slices to jabs in a series of techniques previously unknown to her and possibly all of the races. Her imagination grew to a climax as she dived over an enemy and decapitated him mid-air, only to watch his imaginary head fall to the earth. At this peak the voices in her head had ceased their cries and her mind was left uncluttered; she wondered how long the voices had been gone for as the cloud of battle had freed her mind of all thoughts and she couldn't remember the exact moment the voices had left.

Lights appeared on the horizon and Elainæ was stunned to realize she had been awake for so long. Her thoughts were soon to be disproved though, as the lights began to grow and swirl around each other like a snake made of stars. Her heart was gripped by fear as the emotions and tones emitted by these lights were the same that had clogged her head only hours before and she was at a loss to think of why these things had wanted an audience with her.

She stood tall and rigid as the leader of the lights that she now knew to be spirits approached her. The colors it radiated depicted curiosity and Elainæ was astonished at the communicative ability of beings of pure energy. The leader began to circle her and one by one, so did the other spirits until her area of vision became a blur of flashing and multi-colored lights. Soon, the lights consciousness' reached to hers and began to feed her memories of its recent sightings. Among the most prominent was one that consisted of Eragon and Arya.  
>Reflecting on the memory Elainæ realized that they had been circled like herself and had come to the conclusion that the memory of the joy that the pair emitted was obviously serving as a sign that they meant no harm.<p>

The lights suddenly abated their circling as again the leader of the group approached her. The spirit was different somehow as its colors depicted a deep and everlasting fire and its consciousness was vaguely familiar.

"Elly," it pronounced her nickname in a barely audible tone.

"F-f-f-father?" she managed to stutter, "How?" she continued.

"My forte always was sorcery" he explained. "I found a speck of pure energy floating in the battlefield just after I was mortally wounded and my dragon was slain. As I lay there, my eyes set upon that speck of energy as it floated out of my dragon's mouth. I knew then that her entire source of energy had been placed in that single speck. I poured myself into it. All my energy, the entire mass of energy I had stored in my sword hilt and in the diamond studded ring I had acquired for being a part of the council of elders. Although the spirits that were created as a part of this transformation are completely free, I remain a subdued part of their consciousness, only slightly persuading their course and altering their sight briefly. Over the years of turmoil and war I remained prominent in their minds so as to getter as much remaining energy as I could from the fallen wyrdfell, wild dragons and dragons and riders."

Stuttering, Elainæ could not comprehend the actions her father had taken and the words that prevailed in escaping her mouth were: "wow, that's... umm... incredible."

"Yes, and now, as a gift to you so that in the future you may help the entire expanse of Alegaesia, the spirits would like to bestow onto you a gift like no other and give you their entire expanse of energy. In return you must take them into yourself and let them find shelter in your mind."

"They want me to become a shade!" she exclaimed in horror.

"It is not what you think. I have spent nearly an entire century on the wording of this spell and the adaptations of the words. My companions and I have consulted on the lore of shade hood and we have decided that the spell will let you retain your own consciousness and will not make you a stain upon the world like their siblings."

"I am unsure," she stated, "after the acts committed by Durza. I am loathed to present myself to the world as his kin."

"The spirits assure me that they have no wish to control your body, they only wish to seek shelter in you so that they may live an eternity in a person of great promise. If you wish, I shall guide the procedure and pass the remaining steps to you when it is my time to leave."

"For you, my father. You seem to trust these beings and I trust you. Yes, I will participate."

"Very well," he said "we shall begin."

Once again the spirits began to revolve around her. A guttural drone began to emanate from the spirits and a whir from the speed they were travelling filled the air. Ancient sounds and syllables were being uttered from the spirits. They sang in unison as knowledge of what they were saying filled Elainæ's mind. She began to sing along as one by one the spirits were absorbed into her body. She felt enormous amounts of energy pool within herself as he became one with the spirits. As the ceremony drew to a close and only one spirit remained, Elainæ saw the faint outline of her father ascend from the spirit and pass into the void. Words echoed in her head "I am proud of you. My darling Elly." with that, the final spirit passed through her flesh and she lay on the ground exhausted. She felt different but cared not as a dream-trance encased her thoughts. Uttering a spell that came to her by instinct she covered herself with the earth around her and made it so that she drew oxygen from the soil around her to respirate. She then fell into a heavy trance as she envisaged her mind being circled by valency belts of the spirits, creating a mind of extremes strength. The dream faded away into another less important dream and so on until she no longer remembered them.

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><p><strong>If there are any time-based anomaly's then please inform me and i will try to fix them in the most plausible way i can think of.<strong>

**As always, thanks for reading and please review if you have the time. If by small chance you are a regular reader then my heart goes out to you.**

**Du Domia abr Threyja**


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